NEW DELHI, AUG 3 (PTI): A bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday to widen the remit of the Indian Statistical Institute and align its legal framework with evolving needs. Some opposition members, who had given notices to oppose the bill at the introduction stage, did not speak.The bill was then introduced by a voice vote. The Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, seeks the institute’s incorporation as a ‘body corporate’ to strengthen its governance, promote academic excellence and research and allow it to serve the emerging needs in the field of statistics and allied fields. The Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959, declared the institute to be an institution of national importance and empowered it to grant degrees and diplomas in statistics. Therefore, it says, the government decided to repeal the Indian Statistical Institute Act, 1959, to bring out comprehensive legislation providing for the incorporation of the Indian Statistical Institute, an institution of national importance, to excel as a globally recognised centre in Statistical Sciences and allied fields.